Means for adjusting the rails of conveyers relative to the chains thereof



Dec. 16, 1930. E. E. KENNEDY 1,785,315 MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE RAILS or- CONVEYERS RELATIVE TO THE cnuus THEREOF Filed June 5, 1929 Tic--1.

Z72, f'isflr z Patented 16, 193d v Beam. mamas we ee :1

inEANfs on ADJUSTING THE'RAIi'is orcoNvEY ns annarrvn m me cmu vs rnnnnor Application filed'iune 3,1929. {Serial No. 367,371. p

' This 1 invention relates" to means for ad:

justing the rails oficonveyers relative to the chains, thereof, and'i has forj its principal "object to' provide means wherebyjthe rails of.

r f overhead con-veyersusedin factories ma'y be conveniently adjusted longitudinally to ov e'r come the 'slacknessin the, chains of the: cone veyer dueto stretching from wear; 1 a- 4 Another object of the invention is to provide' means for' accomplishing said purpose, which is s'imple,.pr actical, and vvill permit easy and: ready adjustment of "the rails of the conveyers. 7

With the above and other objects in -view, the invention will be hereinafter fully described as illustratedlin the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be distinctly claims. ,7

i In the drawings, similar characters of reference are usedto indicate corresponding two bolts instead of one for supporting the '3 curved adjustable portion of the rail.

Referrin tothe drawin s *1 re resent-s the singlesupporting' rail, formed of a single I beam, of .a conveyer of the overhead type operating on a production basis. I The rail 1 is supported, as at 2, at various points from the building structure in any suitable manner in a fixed position, and curves laterally, as at e 3, to eonformto the travel of the chain 4, which passesaround and is driven byitoothed wheels as 5 and .6 arranged at various points 1 in the travel of the conveyer. The toothed wheel 5 is supported upon a fixed shaft 7'. .The chain 1 is supported at various points by frames 8 having their upper ends car'- point-edout in the appended used in manufacturingor assemblingplants ried by i olirs, indicated 9:,"which travel upon'the upper sides ofthe'lower flanges of 1 the. railbl.gqsupporting v.or-- carrying hooks,v as indicated by 10,- depend from the chainfl ,atrtheframes-SL f f Q I ,lT-hechainfl being under strain from the "loads moved thereby naturally wears at the I nain joints-and lengthens, and as-a r'esult thereofthe chain sags. In order tobe able to move the-toothed wheel 6 bodily in the longitudinal 'direction of't'he chain 4-, to take upset s'lackthereof and also adjust the length ofntheirail 1. to correspond to the length of; said ichaimjthe following described mecha n-ism is provided The Shaft llg-of the toothedwheel 6 is supported ina longitudinal slot}12j ofa fixed plate" 13, and the curved portion 8 ot-the rail- 1; is slfidablyzj ointed at transversely opposite points as indicated at 14 and 15. The

curved portion- Siofthe', rail -1 is supported by, the-fixed plate -13,'so that'itmay be adjnsted longitudinally, by means of stud 'bolts. 16,- 1fTi'and 18,- whicha're fixed in said portion of thef-rail and pass through longitudinal slots, indicated; by 19, "of saidplate; Nuts indicated by 20 on said: stud bolts are adapt-.

ed to'secure'the curved portion 3 of the rail to the plate'-. 13 inan adjusted position. In

stead ofthe single stud bolts 17 18 and 19,. pair-s 10f hea d s-R 121 nd 22 may b u ed:

'l hejjointsqat 14 and '15, ot'the ,rail. l are i formed byvproviding longitudinal recessesat QS -and 24;,in the top an-d bottom flanges of the. railends, thereby leaving longitudinally extending tongues25 an-d'26, and longitudinal ITGLCGSSGSffaflAZ'Z"and, 28 in-the, webof the .rail Y ends the'rebyleaving tongues 29 and 30. Said tongues of the top and bottom rflanges of the rail are adapted to slidablylco voperate with V said recessesthereofand likewise said tongues tithe-Web With said recesses of the webs. Longitudinally extending ledges or shoulders at 31 of the webs of the rail ends support the top .fiangetongue-s 25-.and' similar ledges at 32-supportthe' lower webtongues of the rail e V, e

To cover or bridge the openings or gaps at the ends Iof the recesses 23 and 2 1 of thebottom flanges fftheirail ends left when the same h'ave been moved apart'and thereby providing a continuous runway for the vrollers 9,

strips of thin steel, indicated by33,rare spotwelded or otherwise fixed at 34; to the upper side of the lower flanges of one of the rail ends and overlap said openings. Said strips of steel are thus held in position and do not interfere with the longitudinal adjustment of the rail ends relative to each other. I

Inpractice, assuming that the cha in 4 has venientandp'ractical means for taking up From the drawings become worn and stretched resulting-in sagging thereof, anditisdesired to. take up 6 is moved bodily longitudinally relative to vthe rail by moving the shaitll ii -the slot 12 oi' the fixed plate 13 until the chain :4: is at the proper tension, then saidshaft'is'fixed in itsadjusted position. 1 The curvedportlon 3' of the mal isnowfmove'rLafter releasing the rints.-2'0, the same distance a s the toothed wheel 6 was moved, andthenszridcurved portion of the rail is fixed inpositionby tightening said nutsu Thus-the rail has been lengtliened'toloorres'po (d to the length iofthe stretchedfchain seen that this invention provides a ready, contheslack dueto wear and stretching of conveyer chains. Itwillbe understood-that the, details of construction for carrying out this invention may be changed within the scope -Having fully described s5, invention, em

I claim is [1. In a ineans'for adjusting the railsof co'nve'yer'srelative to the cliains thereof, the combination Oii'a 'chain, a r ail th'e chain being" supportedfrdin the -rail,"the rail being separated transversely into two portions, a

wheel for driving saidchain, the wheel being a. l In testimony andde'scription, it is versely into twoportions, said flange and web of each of said portions having recesses and tongues adapted to slidably co-operate, and H of said rail, sai1frar1 being separated'transversely into two portions, said flange and web of each of saidportions having recesses and tongues adaptedto'slidably co,-operate, means for fixing, gone portion of the vjra-il in an adjusted position relative 'to the length otsaid; chain, and'plates' fixed tothe lower flangesofg onelportion' of said rail adapted to rest upon the lower flanges ofthe her portion of said:

rail {for bridging the same when said {curved portionof the rail is "moved apart from the other portion'thereo'f.- j; -e V. o V whereoizlz signatnr M'EDWINTEKENNEDY.-,

supported in an adjustable position relative to jsaid'chaim and one of said portionsof said rail being'adjustable relative to said wheel.

)2. In a Ineansforadjusting the ran r conveyers relative to the "chains thereof, the

- a combination ofa'ic haima rail,*the chain=being supported from therail; a wheel for driving said "chain, the chain passing around said o wheel, the rail bein curved toconforrnto the travel of said chain around said wheel, a

said wheel ire-ting sh'aft, saidsha ft passing through said slotand beingis'upported said plate, the "rail being separated transverselj where said curved portion of saidrail 'meets the other portion thereofjand saidcurveii portion of the rail being adjustably fixed to said plate. i'

a n means for adjusting the rai of conveyers relative tothe chains thereof; the combination of a chain, a rail, the rail having iipper andlower flanges'and' a web the 'l 'ein ein i pp fi simi e flange offsa'id 'railyjsziid rail being separated transplate, the plate having aslot'therethrough, I 1 i 

